Uni Watch Profiles: Mark Penxa

By Paul Lukas, on May 14th, 2008

Last month I got a note from reader Anthony Giaccone, who wanted to let me know about an interesting baseball-related art project he’d found on the web. I followed the link he provided and found myself at “Stealing Signs,” a series of 100 old-timey baseball paintings, sequenced with musical accompaniment, by an artist named Mark Penxa.

I got in touch with Penxa, who readily agreed to an interview. Our conversation was interesting, because I tend to think and communicate in very linear terms, while he doesn’t (which is why I’m a writer and he’s an artist). But before you read the transcript, I urge everyone to click through the whole “Stealing Signs” presentation — the cumulative effect is even greater than the considerable sum of its parts.

Uni Watch: Let’s start with you. Where do you live, how old are you, and what do you do for a living?

Mark Penxa: I’m 31, I live in Detroit — well, in the ’burbs, actually, in a village called Plymouth — and I’m a painter.

UW: So you live off your art..?

MP: Yeah.

UW: Wow, that’s really excellent — congrats. Now, “Stealing Signs” is comprised of paintings and sketches about baseball, but what about your other work? Like, do you use other media, do you tend to focus on a particular type of subject matter? In short, how would you describe your art as a whole?

MP: I’m not sure I can answer that. Some of my work is really abstract. I’ve always been involved in art — I did my first drawing when I was three. But my primary focus for years was music, and I did that professionally.

UW: What do you play?

MP: Guitar, piano, a lot of stuff. It’s in the bloodline — both of my parents are musicians. So it was always there.

UW: Were you in bands?

MP: I was in a punk band called Telegraph. We toured around, got to see the world for free, sold some records. But art was always plan B, because the music thing was never gonna last forever. So I started painting and working myself into that — I never went to school for it or anything.

UW: So you’re self-taught, self-trained.

MP: Yeah. Basically, our band left on our first big tour a few days after I graduated high school. And I’ve always been a bit of a worrier, so I was worried about what was gonna happen when this was done. So I would just read Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop manuals while we toured. And when I was home, I’d practice. Then I started painting and getting into that medium. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I don’t really know how to sum up my artwork, because I haven’t been formally trained.

UW: I’m sure artists hate being compared to other artists, but would I be wrong in saying I see a certain Raymond Pettibon influence [additional Pettibon examples here and here — PL] in your work?

MP: Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. That comes from coming up in punk rock — Raymond, you know, he was everywhere. His work is something that just sticks in your head. I don’t know much about him other than his covers for the Black Flag records. And I know that he’s sometimes touched on baseball [I’d completely forgotten about that myself — PL]. So when I started this, I was a little worried about that.

UW: How so? Like your project would seem too derivative, or you’d be viewed as ripping him off or something?

MP [laughing]: Yeah, I usually go right to the worst-case scenario, so I was kinda worried about ripping him off.

UW: I didn’t mean it that way when I brought up his name — I just meant that you’re in good company.

MP: Yeah, that’s how I took it — it’s very flattering.

UW: Have you always been a baseball fan?

MP: Yeah, absolutely.

UW: What about other sports?

MP: I’m primarily a hockey guy.

UW: Who do you root for?

MP: I’m a homer, so I root for the Tigers. And I follow the Wings, because it’s easy to do that, but I actually grew up as a Maple Leafs fan. That’s because my father was always a Canadiens fan, so I kinda did it to piss him off.

UW: Are you an athlete yourself, or were you when you were growing up?

MP: I did the Little League thing. I wasn’t really any good. But I did go 4-for-4 once against the fat kid. And I’ve always been into skateboarding.

UW: Oh, so that explains skateboard art that you’ve done. Alright, but let’s get to “Stealing Signs” and how it all came together.

MP: It sort of started out as an accident. It was a doodle I did of Al Kaline, and when I stopped and looked at it, it looked a bit like a stencil. Something graffiti-like. I thought about it and said, “Yeah, I should do some of these for my grandfather.” I was going to do 10 of them and give them to him as a birthday gift.

UW: This initial doodle of Al Kaline, was it based on a photo of him?

MP: Yeah, it was based on his Hall of Fame induction photo. I was going to do the various phases of his career, because he’s basically the be-all and end-all for my grandfather. No one else existed. So it went from that, and I started adding paint to the drawings, messing around with dye, and soon I had about 20 Al Kalines — the same damn drawing.

UW: So you were doing, like, different treatments of the same drawing.

MP: Yeah, I was just playing with it. I’d make photocopies of the drawing and try different things.

UW: This was all done physically, not on the computer, right?

MP: Yeah, this is all pen, paper, and paint. And this was a few years ago, when the team had turned around and suddenly gotten good, and I started thinking about how the city had changed because of baseball. People weren’t mugging each other anymore. That sounds harsh, but it’s very real here. Normally, if you’re walking down the street in Detroit and someone approaches you who you don’t know, you’re immediately on the defensive. You assume something bad is going to happen. But when they were making that first playoff run in 2006, people would stop you in the street and ask if you knew what the score was. I mean, everyone here’s out of work, the economy is garbage, and baseball was sort of fixing everything. It was very interesting and cool to see.

UW: So how did that play into the project?

MP: It’s hard to explain, but it just got me thinking, and I kept doing more pieces, and soon I had about 60 of them. And when I finally realized where I was going, I tore those up and started over.

UW: And where is it that you realized you were going?

MP: Ah… [Long pause.] I don’t think I’ve figured that part out yet. And maybe because it’s not done. There could be more, I’m not sure. It sounds kind of hokey and hippie-ish, but I think I was kind of playing therapist to some of these guys.

UW: Some of the guys you were painting?

MP: Yeah, the players themselves. Some of them. See, some of the players I painted are completely fictitious. And some of them are very real — Hall of Famers. Grover Alexander, Cool Papa Bell. It’s hard to explain, exactly.

UW: Is that what the title “Stealing Signs” refers to? Like, you’re intercepting the stories of their lives?

MP: Sure. Yeah. You’re the first one to catch that.

UW: What about the subtitle, “Memories from My Past life, 1927″?

MP [chuckling a bit nervously]: That’s a little weird. I’ve always had this strange connection, or nostalgia, for the 1920s and ’30s. That was sort of the subtext. The muted sepia-tone colors, especially, play into that.

UW: But not all of the images are based on photos taken in 1927, right?

MP: No, not at all.

UW: So why is 1927 part of the subtitle?

MP [chuckling again]: It was just sort of the year I put on it. It’s, it’s really, uh, I don’t know if it lessens the whole thing or what, but it just sort of spilled out of me. It felt right. I don’t know why.

UW: I realize I’m asking specific questions about things that may not have specific answers, and that you may have made an artistic choice simply because it felt right to you. And that’s fine.

MP: Paul, this is very weird, because this is actually the first time I’ve talked out loud about the project, and the first time anyone’s asked me any questions about it. So some of these things you’re asking me, they’re things I haven’t really thought through yet. So just bear with me.

UW: No problem. Now, are all of the paintings based on photos?

MP: Most of them. Probably about 75%.

UW: The ones that aren’t, did you just do them out of your head, or are they composites, or what?

MP: Most of those came straight out of my head. There’s one — “My World Still Spins Without You” — that one started with the words. And there’s a couple where I worked some of my friends’ faces into the paintings.

UW: When choosing a photo to render as a painting, were your choices driven primarily by the original photo’s aesthetic qualities, or by who was depicted in a photo, or what? What were your criteria? Were you looking for photos and then basing the idea for a painting around that, or did you already have an idea and you’d go looking for an appropriate photo?

MP: I wasn’t really looking for photos at first. After the Kaline pieces that I was doing for my grandfather, the next batch was completely out of my head. I just started making up all these characters in this soap opera. But once I got an idea of what I wanted it all to look like, those earlier ones didn’t make sense anymore. So then I started referencing photos and things like that.

UW: Were there specific boundaries on the time frame these photos came from, or was it all just “early baseball photos”?

MP: I tried to keep it within the late ’20s, when possible. When I was almost done with the whole thing, someone sent me a link to the Chicago Daily News photo archive. It’s, like, tens of thousands of old negatives. So I started going through that, and I almost — almost — scrapped the whole thing and started over with that. They’ve got some pretty amazing stuff. Prison leagues, prison league football. It’s incredible.

UW: What is it about that particular 1920s era that fascinates you so much?

UW: OK, now we’ll finally get to some uniform questions. The uniforms from that era had a lot of elements that would look unusual to us today. Some jerseys had pockets or point collars, belt buckles were usually worn off-center, sleeves were often very long, there were sweaters instead of dugout jackets, umpires wore neckties. Were you already aware of all that, or were you surprised to discover these details as you painted them?

MP: I’d always known about that stuff. But I changed some aspects of the uniforms, and in some cases I got a little mischievous and changed the teams that the players played for. There were quite a few that didn’t make the final 100 where they’re wearing those big warm-up sweaters — those didn’t really translate well. The thick-gauge knit looked like popcorn. [Mark’s being too hard on himself. After our interview was over, he sent me some original paintings that didn’t make the cut, including this one. As I think you’ll agree, the sweater came out just fine. — PL]

UW: The uniform fabric was different back then, too. Your painting style, with its thick lines, really meshes well with the thick wool flannels of that period.

MP: Thanks. I think that’s why the colors worked so well. Just that sweaty, dirty-wool thing, like they were never quite clean.

UW: Yeah, I’m assuming all your reference photos were black-and-white, which freed you to impose your own color palette. And I love that muted sepia feel that you got. It’s almost like a color version of black-and-white.

MP: Yeah, if I did have a color photo to work with, I just took the color out of it. There’s not much red, white, or blue in there.

UW: Has this project changed the way you look at baseball, and the way you react when you see a baseball uniform?

MP: It doesn’t change the way I watch a game. But it’s increased my appreciation for the game.

UW: Some of the images have accompanying text, and some don’t. What’s that all about, and how did those choices develop?

MP: Like I said before, it has to do witt that therapy aspect. It’s what I thought these players were saying to me. That sounds so weird. Creepy. At first I looked at it as, “For some reason this came into my head, so I’m writing it down.” Like, “Roy Campanella wants me to say this.” I don’t know. Really, it was my own therapy.

UW: Well, that was my next question — how much of this was therapy for you?

MP: Oh, probably a lot. I mean, I can try to hide behind these guys, but I’m gonna be exposed sooner or later. I mean, a lot of it is about my own, uh, junk. But it’s everyday junk, the junk we deal with. It’s just those things that go unnoticed and get passed off as not being a big deal — bleeding hearts, mild addiction, and stuff like that.

UW: Are there any particular players you chose to depict who might not be household names but who you chose to depict because you found them to be appealing characters in some way? I know there’s one where you listed the guy’s first and last games, and they were just a few weeks apart, for example.

MP: He died soon after his first game. I found him on baseball-reference.com.

UW: Who was it?

MP: Couldn’t tell ya. I didn’t document it. I just noticed it was some player from the ’20s, whoever he was. I like that I can’t remember who he was.

UW: Because his name isn’t as important as the circumstances defining his career?

MP: Yeah. I mean, he got to go to the big game. That’s what matters. It’s sweeter that way. He died, but he made it. His wife was proud of him. It’s a success story.

MP: They’re always in reverse order. Don’t ask me why, I just did it that way.

UW: You mean with the player’s final season shown at the top, instead of at the bottom?

MP: Yeah.

UW: Is your grandfather still alive?

MP: Yes, barely. He’s holding on.

UW: What does he think of all this?

MP: He doesn’t. He’s seen it, but he doesn’t understand what he’s seeing. His dementia’s getting really bad.

UW: I’m sorry. Does he understand on some level that you did all this as a gesture to him?

MP: Yeah. He knew about it before it was finished. As I was working on it, I let him know, “Hey, this was meant for you, but it’s kind of taken on its own life.” He got the gist.

UW: Is the project being exhibited in the physical world, or only digitally?

MP: Only online. I tried, I shopped it around to galleries and art spaces, but I kept getting turned down.

UW: Well, hopefully I can help change that.

===========

Can’t even begin to say how much I love Mark’s work. Big, big thanks to him for sharing his thoughts with me, and for creating something so special. And if anyone out there runs a gallery, get in touch with Mark pronto.

Raffle Results: The winner of the helmet raffle is charter member Joel Keller, who has already chosen this helmet as his prize. “I’m a Giants fan,” he says. “This helmet reminds me of the era when my dad became a fan, so I might give it to him. Then again, I might not.”

As for the rest of you, don’t despair — I should have another raffle to announce next Monday or Tuesday.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Lots of readers wrote in to let me know that big-shot designer Michael Beirut has penned an ode to my favorite object, the Brannock Device. … I’ve written several times about Johnny LeMaster’s “Boo” NOB (details here). According to this item, he was fined $500 for that stunt, which I hadn’t known until now. … More Japanese all-stars wearing “E” and “W” (for East and West, natch), courtesy of Jeremy Brahm. … The Pro Football Hall of Fame has some new exhibits — here’s a bunch of pics. Of particular interest: another padded-crown helmet (with thanks to Brandon Yarian). … Not many coats make it to the Museum of Modern Art. And now one that recently did make it has died — literally. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: In the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, Michigan’s Mike Hammerstein had a double-decker FNOB, while teammate Tim Schultz had a single-line version. … I think we’ve all seen illustrations of the new Iowa State football togs by now, but I believe this is the first photo (with thanks to Andrew Cinnamon). … Great hockey jersey collector’s site here (with thanks to Casey Barcomb). … Vince reports that Braylon Edwards said the following during a live web chat yesterday: “I am already mad at Rich Rod because he gave the No.1 jersey to someone other than a WR, which is breaking tradition. But I think he is a great coach and will lead Michigan to a turnaround.” … Fun piece here about players in the “wrong” uniforms. I once did something similar, but there’s always room for more (with thanks to David Cline). … I’ll be partaking of non-uni culture with the ’rents this afternoon, so everyone play nice while I’m gone.

why would someone want to honor a hot-dogging, back-stabbing, two-faced punk by wearing his number?

…oh wait…he’s not wearing it to honor tiki

Duckstyle|
May 14, 2008 at 9:19 am |

Mark’s work is fantastic, these type of posts always end up being my favorites. I can’t wait to get home so I can look through them all, I really want to buy one of these beauties. The piece noting the first/last game is my favorite so far.

Jim|
May 14, 2008 at 9:20 am |

Paul,
Mark Penxa said he was also a big hockey fan. Do you know if he has any hockey paintings or sketches? I am a big hockey collector and I would be interested purchasing one that I liked.

Could Tiki Barber care less? He makes a load of money, has a great family, doesn;t have to run drills anymore, and everyday is the off-season. Other than the Super Bowl ring, he think he could care less.

Looks like he took a little bit of liberty with painting where he listed the guy’s first and last games. B-R shows a player named Roy Flaskamper, who played for the White Sox and made his debut on 8/16/27 and played his last game on 10/2/27. But he actually died on 2/3/78…

Mickel Yantz|
May 14, 2008 at 10:14 am |

I just found a great site for shirts with old logos. A lot of Northwest teams. Really cool.Throwback Max

[quote comment=”270361″]I just found a great site for shirts with old logos. A lot of Northwest teams. Really cool.Throwback Max[/quote]

Ah they even have the original Macon Whooppe. One of the greatest names for a hockey team ever and used to have a great logo (Maple Leafs esque) till they changed it to the stupid whooping crane and bee.

Paul’s whole post from the interview with mark, to the raffle news, even though i didn’t win, had such a positive effect on my day!

thanks always paul!

KT|
May 14, 2008 at 10:42 am |

“And when I finally realized where I was going, I tore those up and started over.”

“UW: And where is it that you realized you were going?”

“Ah… [Long pause.] I don’t think I’ve figured that part out yet.”

More on this story as it develops.

Ricko|
May 14, 2008 at 10:42 am |

[quote comment=”270360″]Great interview. I love his paintings!

Looks like he took a little bit of liberty with painting where he listed the guy’s first and last games. B-R shows a player named Roy Flaskamper, who played for the White Sox and made his debut on 8/16/27 and played his last game on 10/2/27. But he actually died on 2/3/78…[/quote]

If the guy in the painting played in the 1920s, why is wearing wearing what appears to be Nellie Fox’s road uniform circa 1959? Or am I missing something here?

Ricko|
May 14, 2008 at 10:44 am |

Don’t get me wrong. I love the guy’s work. That one just hung me up a little.

Looks like he took a little bit of liberty with painting where he listed the guy’s first and last games. B-R shows a player named Roy Flaskamper, who played for the White Sox and made his debut on 8/16/27 and played his last game on 10/2/27. But he actually died on 2/3/78…[/quote]

If the guy in the painting played in the 1920s, why is wearing wearing what appears to be Nellie Fox’s road uniform circa 1959? Or am I missing something here?[/quote]

People — did you read the interview? He swapped some things around, made up fictitious characters, put his friends’ faces on some of the paintings, etc. Jeez.

I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000). I live in a bordering town which shares the school district with Plymouth and never once have heard it referred to as a village.

I guess it just lends credence to Paul’s comments about him being artsy.

Jim|
May 14, 2008 at 11:42 am |

[quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000). I live in a bordering town which shares the school district with Plymouth and never once have heard it referred to as a village.

I guess it just lends credence to Paul’s comments about him being artsy.[/quote]

Or maybe he just mis-spoke.

Ricko|
May 14, 2008 at 11:46 am |

I love what he does, Paul. Just meant that one–and only that one–seemed a little “anachronistic,” that’s all. He seems so faithful to period in everything else.

Aw, hell, pretend I didn’t say anything about it. I really DO love his work.

Who would rather have Ronnie Woo Woo QB the Bears instead of Rex Grossman?

Frank Mercogliano|
May 14, 2008 at 11:56 am |

That interview and gallery are exactly what I love about this site…..opening the mind up to something new, and someone else’s mind and perspective. Great, great stuff…enjoy the show tonight!

Frank

Rick White in Cedar Park, TX|
May 14, 2008 at 11:57 am |

[quote comment=”270404″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000). I live in a bordering town which shares the school district with Plymouth and never once have heard it referred to as a village.

I guess it just lends credence to Paul’s comments about him being artsy.[/quote]

Or maybe he just mis-spoke.[/quote]

Or, maybe, we’re just being a little bit nit-picky on this interview. Not that anyone here is “detail oriented”.

Robert|
May 14, 2008 at 12:05 pm |

[quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?

Mike|
May 14, 2008 at 12:06 pm |

[quote comment=”270413″][quote comment=”270404″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000). I live in a bordering town which shares the school district with Plymouth and never once have heard it referred to as a village.

I guess it just lends credence to Paul’s comments about him being artsy.[/quote]

Or maybe he just mis-spoke.[/quote]

Or, maybe, we’re just being a little bit nit-picky on this interview. Not that anyone here is “detail oriented”.[/quote]

I don’t think it’s nit-picky to expect people to know the name of their own town. By the way, Paul how is life in the Parish of Brooklyn?

Incidentally, I made my original post not to be critical. I really just found it interesting.

Walaitis|
May 14, 2008 at 12:08 pm |

[quote comment=”270404″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000). I live in a bordering town which shares the school district with Plymouth and never once have heard it referred to as a village.

I guess it just lends credence to Paul’s comments about him being artsy.[/quote]

Or maybe he just mis-spoke.[/quote]

I think he misremembered.

Mike|
May 14, 2008 at 12:08 pm |

[quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]

No. A township is just a label for the municipality. It could be a city, borough, etc. The county in question is Wayne County.

Matt Lesser|
May 14, 2008 at 12:09 pm |

[quote comment=”270334″]Iowa State looks good however they seem to be a hybrid of Syracuse and USC!

That’s exactly what I thought, but wasn’t quick enough on the fingers. An upgrade, no doubt, but still not great.

Duckstyle|
May 14, 2008 at 12:13 pm |

[quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]

No, it’s like a city/village. If you’ve ever been to Michigan for any length of time, you’ll notice they like to go out of their way to name every town something other than city etc; and then there’s those weirdass left turn u-turns, but I digress. At least they dont call pop soda.

[quote comment=”270410″]Did we lose the search function on the blog? I can’t find one today.[/quote]

We’re having problems with Google. Some spam has gotten thru in our archived posts, and Google has stopped indexing us as a result. Their site-search function no longer works for us either (very frustrating, I know — I use the site search a lot myself).

As with every other problem, we are (read: John is) working on it. Hang in there.

Off to meet the ’rents,
Paul

Stuby|
May 14, 2008 at 12:29 pm |

[quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]
Townships are just another way of surveying and subdividing the land. A township is generally 36 square mi. (6 mi. x 6 mi.) and Michigan uses the designation more than most places.

I didn’t realize townships were a michigan thing. I grew up in Saginaw Township, For the Plymouth Whalers/Saginaw Spirit michigan based OHL connection

mmwatkin|
May 14, 2008 at 1:01 pm |

[quote comment=”270423″][quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]

No, it’s like a city/village. If you’ve ever been to Michigan for any length of time, you’ll notice they like to go out of their way to name every town something other than city etc; and then there’s those weirdass left turn u-turns, but I digress. At least they dont call pop soda.[/quote]

Don’t knock the Michigan Left. I am not native to Metro Detroit but when I moved here I loved the Michigan Lefts. I wish more places would adopt the traffic scheme.

[quote comment=”270446″][quote comment=”270423″][quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]

No, it’s like a city/village. If you’ve ever been to Michigan for any length of time, you’ll notice they like to go out of their way to name every town something other than city etc; and then there’s those weirdass left turn u-turns, but I digress. At least they dont call pop soda.[/quote]

Don’t knock the Michigan Left. I am not native to Metro Detroit but when I moved here I loved the Michigan Lefts. I wish more places would adopt the traffic scheme.

[quote comment=”270431″][quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]
Townships are just another way of surveying and subdividing the land. A township is generally 36 square mi. (6 mi. x 6 mi.) and Michigan uses the designation more than most places.[/quote]
In Ohio its more like, you follow the same laws as the city/town, but you don’t pay income tax.

I was born in Pennsylvania. We had townships there. Probably still do.

I used to live in the Village of Lisle, Illinois.

We argue about some pretty esoteric things here, but arguing about what nomenclature someone uses for their municipality is making the people on the Star Trek forums say “Man, those people are geeks.”[/quote]

Heck, those guys from “Big Bang Theory” are starting to look at us funny.

warren thompson|
May 14, 2008 at 1:57 pm |

[quote comment=”270422″][quote comment=”270334″]Iowa State looks good however they seem to be a hybrid of Syracuse and USC!

That’s exactly what I thought, but wasn’t quick enough on the fingers. An upgrade, no doubt, but still not great.[/quote]

Those Iowa State uniforms might look better with the addition of two or three more shoulder stripes. That way, they’d have a nice retro look as per the University of Chicago jerseys shown yesterday.

Scott|
May 14, 2008 at 2:14 pm |

Loved the paintings. Has he posted anymore of the ones that didn’t make the cut anywhere?

Mark K|
May 14, 2008 at 2:14 pm |

I like the Iowa State uniforms. The shoulder striping looks better than Syracuse because of the more contrasting colors.

I’m not a huge fan of the offset median stroke on the A that they’ve worked into both the helmet logo and the jersey lettering. It seems like a “modern” touch that’s slightly out of place.

I’d like to see the NOB lettering as well- that could potentially ruin the whole deal. Helmet numbers can go either way as well. Also I’m assuming they wear white socks and black shoes which would be a good look.

Big Plusses- grey facemasks and no black.

Duckstyle|
May 14, 2008 at 2:34 pm |

[quote comment=”270446″][quote comment=”270423″][quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]

No, it’s like a city/village. If you’ve ever been to Michigan for any length of time, you’ll notice they like to go out of their way to name every town something other than city etc; and then there’s those weirdass left turn u-turns, but I digress. At least they dont call pop soda.[/quote]

Don’t knock the Michigan Left. I am not native to Metro Detroit but when I moved here I loved the Michigan Lefts. I wish more places would adopt the traffic scheme.

My vintage squad, the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club, will play a scrimmage before the game (split squad, Chesapeakes versus Potomacs) using 1864 rules, and the Baysox will wear throwback 1860s Baltimore Excelsiors uniforms for the game. Lots of other old-timey stuff going on too, but the uniforms are the main thing for me (natch).

Makes me wonder whether any previous team has gone as far back for a throwback uniform as the 1860s. (If my reading of the Excelsiors history is correct, this would actually be an 1860 uniform, but I could be wrong, and I haven’t seen the original artifact in person. Might be from the second half of the decade.)

James Craven|
May 14, 2008 at 3:04 pm |

New ISU unis: Major downgrade from what they had, especially the helmets.

Juan Grande|
May 14, 2008 at 3:05 pm |

[quote comment=”270487″][quote comment=”270446″][quote comment=”270423″][quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]

No, it’s like a city/village. If you’ve ever been to Michigan for any length of time, you’ll notice they like to go out of their way to name every town something other than city etc; and then there’s those weirdass left turn u-turns, but I digress. At least they dont call pop soda.[/quote]

Don’t knock the Michigan Left. I am not native to Metro Detroit but when I moved here I loved the Michigan Lefts. I wish more places would adopt the traffic scheme.

[quote comment=”270504″][quote comment=”270487″][quote comment=”270446″][quote comment=”270423″][quote comment=”270417″][quote comment=”270403″]I found it interesting that Mark Penxa said he’s from the Village of Plymouth in Michigan. There’s no such place. There is the City of Plymouth (pop 9,000) which lies within the Township of Plymouth (pop 28,000).[/quote]

Is a township like a county?[/quote]

No, it’s like a city/village. If you’ve ever been to Michigan for any length of time, you’ll notice they like to go out of their way to name every town something other than city etc; and then there’s those weirdass left turn u-turns, but I digress. At least they dont call pop soda.[/quote]

Don’t knock the Michigan Left. I am not native to Metro Detroit but when I moved here I loved the Michigan Lefts. I wish more places would adopt the traffic scheme.

My vintage squad, the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club, will play a scrimmage before the game (split squad, Chesapeakes versus Potomacs) using 1864 rules, and the Baysox will wear throwback 1860s Baltimore Excelsiors uniforms for the game. Lots of other old-timey stuff going on too, but the uniforms are the main thing for me (natch).

Makes me wonder whether any previous team has gone as far back for a throwback uniform as the 1860s. (If my reading of the Excelsiors history is correct, this would actually be an 1860 uniform, but I could be wrong, and I haven’t seen the original artifact in person. Might be from the second half of the decade.)[/quote]

every year, many times a year, they play olde time base ball near me…i know a couple of the guys who play…games are circa 1864

pretty cool stuff, and very authentic unis (im guessing)…and of course, no gloves and some messed up rules

i bet there are many (well, maybe not many) leagues throughout the country that do this…too bad there aren’t more of them

If Mark is at all worried about not being “formally trained,” let me say, I spent 4 years in art school, have my BFA, and can design logos all day long… but I’d give about anything to have talent like this. These things are beautiful. I’ve already downloaded all 100 jpgs, and have them as my new screen-saver. I’m pretty sure that nobody’s doing that with my “formally trained” logos. God-given talent wins out over training all day long.

Duckstyle|
May 14, 2008 at 3:19 pm |

[quote comment=”270509″][quote comment=”270493″]Anyone in the Baltimore-Washington area, the Bowie Baysox are doing a Vintage Base Ball Day promotion on Sunday:

My vintage squad, the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club, will play a scrimmage before the game (split squad, Chesapeakes versus Potomacs) using 1864 rules, and the Baysox will wear throwback 1860s Baltimore Excelsiors uniforms for the game. Lots of other old-timey stuff going on too, but the uniforms are the main thing for me (natch).

Makes me wonder whether any previous team has gone as far back for a throwback uniform as the 1860s. (If my reading of the Excelsiors history is correct, this would actually be an 1860 uniform, but I could be wrong, and I haven’t seen the original artifact in person. Might be from the second half of the decade.)[/quote]

every year, many times a year, they play olde time base ball near me…i know a couple of the guys who play…games are circa 1864

pretty cool stuff, and very authentic unis (im guessing)…and of course, no gloves and some messed up rules

i bet there are many (well, maybe not many) leagues throughout the country that do this…too bad there aren’t more of them

enjoy[/quote]

There’s a fantastic Conan O’Brien skit with old timey baseball that people should be riquired by law to see. Look it up people!

They do a very similar game in my area, it’s definitly worth the free admission I paid a few years back. But they people do a very good job keeping it true to the times.

My vintage squad, the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club, will play a scrimmage before the game (split squad, Chesapeakes versus Potomacs) using 1864 rules, and the Baysox will wear throwback 1860s Baltimore Excelsiors uniforms for the game. Lots of other old-timey stuff going on too, but the uniforms are the main thing for me (natch).

Makes me wonder whether any previous team has gone as far back for a throwback uniform as the 1860s. (If my reading of the Excelsiors history is correct, this would actually be an 1860 uniform, but I could be wrong, and I haven’t seen the original artifact in person. Might be from the second half of the decade.)[/quote]

every year, many times a year, they play olde time base ball near me…i know a couple of the guys who play…games are circa 1864

pretty cool stuff, and very authentic unis (im guessing)…and of course, no gloves and some messed up rules

i bet there are many (well, maybe not many) leagues throughout the country that do this…too bad there aren’t more of them

enjoy[/quote]

Caught my first “Vintage Base Ball” game a couple of weeks ago. Indianapolis Blues vs. Cincinatti Buckeyes at West Baden Hotel in West Baden, IN. Great stuff. Great unis.

and oh yeah…i command you to spend the rest of the day researching the photos in the linky i provided…

Walaitis|
May 14, 2008 at 4:15 pm |

[quote comment=”270552″]and oh yeah…i command you to spend the rest of the day researching the photos in the linky i provided…[/quote]

So glad I didn’t go with my first guess of the first and only catcher to ever attempt to use a hole in the threads of the universe as a catcher’s mitt – which would most likely have resulted in a black hole sucking in the entire ballpark as well as the players and fans in attendance, and I’m not sure, but I would guess that would have been better documented in sports history than just being a clue in this photograph.

I was hoping that wasn’t the case, and it was just the poor resolution of my laptop.

Tony Miller|
May 14, 2008 at 4:31 pm |

Roy Flaskamper played for the Sox in 1927…born Oct. 31, 1901; debuted Aug. 16, 1927; last played Oct. 2, 1927; but died in 1978.

In commemoration of 50 years in San Francisco, the Giants are having “Flashback Fridays” in which they honor past team members. Last week vs. Philly was Johnny LeMaster’s turn and his reception was decidedly…mixed. He seemed to enjoy the boos as much as the cheers.

I’m both a Uniwatch reader and a Mark Penxa onlooker (He did some work for friends of mine and i’ve gone to his site ever since to see what he’s doing in the scrapbook, etc). When I clicked over here today I thought I mistyped the address. My corners of the internet are coming together!

The “Stealing Signs” series is great. Simple idea. Simple technique, but done masterfully. Captures the essense of the era and idea perfectly.

James Craven|
May 14, 2008 at 5:12 pm |

[quote comment=”270582″]“Those Iowa State jerseys are basically an exact replica of the Syracuse jerseys created 3 years ago except they are red and yellow instead of orange and blue. Very original.”[/quote]

You forgot the [sarcasm][/sarcasm] tags there, pal.

Walaitis|
May 14, 2008 at 5:13 pm |

[quote comment=”270591″][quote comment=”270586″]why is this pic of campy so interesting?

I am SO bad at this game!!! I just keep thinking it has something to do with all the wrinkled Van Husen shirts I have in my closet!

Stuby|
May 14, 2008 at 5:14 pm |

[quote comment=”270587″]In commemoration of 50 years in San Francisco, the Giants are having “Flashback Fridays” in which they honor past team members. Last week vs. Philly was Johnny LeMaster’s turn and his reception was decidedly…mixed. He seemed to enjoy the boos as much as the cheers.[/quote]
When is ‘Mike Kingery Night’?

Duckstyle|
May 14, 2008 at 5:14 pm |

[quote comment=”270597″][quote comment=”270591″][quote comment=”270586″]why is this pic of campy so interesting?

I am SO bad at this game!!! I just keep thinking it has something to do with all the wrinkled Van Husen shirts I have in my closet![/quote]

How lame is it that I’m wearing a wrinkle free Van Heusen right now? btw, no one has to answer that.

Ricko|
May 14, 2008 at 5:15 pm |

[quote comment=”270598″][quote comment=”270587″]In commemoration of 50 years in San Francisco, the Giants are having “Flashback Fridays” in which they honor past team members. Last week vs. Philly was Johnny LeMaster’s turn and his reception was decidedly…mixed. He seemed to enjoy the boos as much as the cheers.[/quote]
When is ‘Mike Kingery Night’?[/quote]

[quote comment=”270599″][quote comment=”270597″]I am SO bad at this game!!! I just keep thinking it has something to do with all the wrinkled Van Husen shirts I have in my closet![/quote]

How lame is it that I’m wearing a wrinkle free Van Heusen right now? btw, no one has to answer that.[/quote]

that’s um…scary

i just got a email from bass/van heusen/izod/beene

van heusen shirts are on sale 5 days only

Walaitis|
May 14, 2008 at 5:25 pm |

[quote comment=”270602″][quote comment=”270599″][quote comment=”270597″]I am SO bad at this game!!! I just keep thinking it has something to do with all the wrinkled Van Husen shirts I have in my closet![/quote]

How lame is it that I’m wearing a wrinkle free Van Heusen right now? btw, no one has to answer that.[/quote]

that’s um…scary

i just got a email from bass/van heusen/izod/beene

van heusen shirts are on sale 5 days only[/quote]

Let me just tell you, when your kids are 6, 4, and 3, there IS no such thing as a wrinkle free shirt!!!!

Duckstyle|
May 14, 2008 at 5:25 pm |

[quote comment=”270602″][quote comment=”270599″][quote comment=”270597″]I am SO bad at this game!!! I just keep thinking it has something to do with all the wrinkled Van Husen shirts I have in my closet![/quote]

How lame is it that I’m wearing a wrinkle free Van Heusen right now? btw, no one has to answer that.[/quote]

that’s um…scary

i just got a email from bass/van heusen/izod/beene

van heusen shirts are on sale 5 days only[/quote]

No need, my dad feels the need to buy me dress shirts every year for my b-day, hense the old-man brand. There’s some “well dressed” homeless people in my town, if you catch my drift.

[quote comment=”270606″][quote comment=”270602″][quote comment=”270599″][quote comment=”270597″]I am SO bad at this game!!! I just keep thinking it has something to do with all the wrinkled Van Husen shirts I have in my closet![/quote]

How lame is it that I’m wearing a wrinkle free Van Heusen right now? btw, no one has to answer that.[/quote]

that’s um…scary

i just got a email from bass/van heusen/izod/beene

van heusen shirts are on sale 5 days only[/quote]

Let me just tell you, when your kids are 6, 4, and 3, there IS no such thing as a wrinkle free shirt!!!![/quote]

Get some starch and a 20lb iron from the 60’s. I can cut people with these creases!

Duckstyle|
May 14, 2008 at 5:28 pm |

[quote comment=”270609″][quote comment=”270586″]why is this pic of campy so interesting?

(please don’t say he’s not catching)[/quote]

He can walk?

(one ticket to Hell, please)[/quote]

Oooooo, too soon?

KT|
May 14, 2008 at 5:32 pm |

If that Wagner photo is, indeed, from September 18, 1908 – the Pirates dropped both ends of a twin bill to the Giants, 7-0 and 12-7.

They finished one game out of first. If they’d split the doubleheader, they’d have tied the Cubs for the pennant and maybe won a playoff. And maybe we would have already passed the 100 year anniversary of the Cubs’ last World Series win.

ALL BECAUSE YOU BATTED LEFT HANDED, YOU CRAZY NOT-ACTUALLY-DUTCH BASTARD!

[quote comment=”270614″]If that Wagner photo is, indeed, from September 18, 1908 – the Pirates dropped both ends of a twin bill to the Giants, 7-0 and 12-7.

They finished one game out of first. If they’d split the doubleheader, they’d have tied the Cubs for the pennant and maybe won a playoff. And maybe we would have already passed the 100 year anniversary of the Cubs’ last World Series win.

ALL BECAUSE YOU BATTED LEFT HANDED, YOU CRAZY NOT-ACTUALLY-DUTCH BASTARD![/quote]

[quote comment=\”270548\”]whiskey tango foxtrot is it with those damn lowwer case names on the back of rangers and zenat St. Petersburg in the excuse me, uefa cup final in manchester? oh, fuck. puma lettering diesase.[/quote]

Kinda hard for Rangers to have it as their kits are made by Umbro/Nike.

Duckstyle|
May 14, 2008 at 5:56 pm |

[quote comment=”270621″][quote comment=\”270548\”]whiskey tango foxtrot is it with those damn lowwer case names on the back of rangers and zenat St. Petersburg in the excuse me, uefa cup final in manchester? oh, fuck. puma lettering diesase.[/quote]

Kinda hard for Rangers to have it as their kits are made by Umbro/Nike.[/quote]

They mave have Umbro kits, but they both use the same lettering and numbers per UEFA Cup standards. And yes, they are pretty stupid looking.

[quote comment=”270361″]I just found a great site for shirts with old logos. A lot of Northwest teams. Really cool.Throwback Max[/quote]
Awesome site…lots of cool WFL stuff.

=bg=|
May 14, 2008 at 6:45 pm |

[quote comment=”270587″]In commemoration of 50 years in San Francisco, the Giants are having “Flashback Fridays” in which they honor past team members. Last week vs. Philly was Johnny LeMaster’s turn and his reception was decidedly…mixed. He seemed to enjoy the boos as much as the cheers.[/quote]

Wouldn’t hold your breath for a reunion where a certain recent relief pitcher with the initials AB would be present. I vowed never to speak or type the name again. He was the one player who my stomach would hurt- really, it would, when he entered a game. No kidding.

Or, a starting pitcher currently on the roster with the initials BZ. WOuldn’t wait for that, either.

(but nice to see fans in the stands at the Trop!)[/quote]
Looks like an Elvis impersonator pitching.

Thorold Blair|
May 14, 2008 at 7:05 pm |

[quote comment=”270643″][quote comment=”270587″]In commemoration of 50 years in San Francisco, the Giants are having “Flashback Fridays” in which they honor past team members. Last week vs. Philly was Johnny LeMaster’s turn and his reception was decidedly…mixed. He seemed to enjoy the boos as much as the cheers.[/quote]

Wouldn’t hold your breath for a reunion where a certain recent relief pitcher with the initials AB would be present. I vowed never to speak or type the name again. He was the one player who my stomach would hurt- really, it would, when he entered a game. No kidding.

Or, a starting pitcher currently on the roster with the initials BZ. WOuldn’t wait for that, either.[/quote]

Is that the same relief pitcher who Toronto recalled for last night’s game and gave up a home run on his first pitch?

Pic 1 is of the Air Max 1 or Air Max 87. This was the first Nike running shoe to incorporate the visible air window. Perhaps you remember the commercials with the Beatles “Revolution” as the soundtrack. Coincidentally, the first Nike basketball shoe to feature the visible air window was the Air Revolution, worn by none other than Dennis Rodman, Chuck Person, and Ron Harper.

I think I’m going to get visibly sick if this “false adoration” of a “gangsta’ punk” continues!!!

Daren L|
May 14, 2008 at 8:07 pm |

Wonderful art. Wonderful interview. Thank you for sharing this. Let’s hope there will be a gallery who will step up to the plate for Mr. Penxa.

Chad G|
May 14, 2008 at 8:08 pm |

[quote comment=”270656″]Four games in a row! Is hell finally freezing over?[/quote]

Are you referring to the Mets wearing blue caps again tonight?

Also in that game the plate ump Dana Demuth (sp?) is wearing a blazer. I know there has been a bit of chatter about umpire blazers the last few days.

Darbs|
May 14, 2008 at 8:34 pm |

Can anyone else watching the Mets-Nats game see the number on Vargas’ glove? It looks like #46. Guess thats what a spot start call-up will get you…

Benjamin Bonnet|
May 14, 2008 at 8:43 pm |

What do you guys think about the MLB logo not having a box around it on the turntlenecks? I think it looks better that way than with the box. And those blues have been so nice. I would complain that they are not wearing the pinstripes, but I don’t want to jinx them.

Phil|
May 14, 2008 at 9:01 pm |

Paul, Thanks for including this interview, I really enjoyed it.

On the township note, they are also in Ontario as one way of subdividing a county for administrative purposes (ie. roads and snow clearing), although they have begun to be amalgamated into towns (which means higher taxes without an increase in service but I digress)
Québec also has them.(ie. les Cantons de l’Est – the Eastern Townships).

[quote comment=”270727″]Cubs fan poll during the game tonight. What is your favorite Cubs uniform?

48% Home Pinstripes44% Alternate Blue
8% Road Grey[/quote]

44% blue? im guessing no UWers participated in that poll

=bg=|
May 14, 2008 at 11:00 pm |

[quote comment=”270653″][quote comment=”270643″][quote comment=”270587″]In commemoration of 50 years in San Francisco, the Giants are having “Flashback Fridays” in which they honor past team members. Last week vs. Philly was Johnny LeMaster’s turn and his reception was decidedly…mixed. He seemed to enjoy the boos as much as the cheers.[/quote]

Wouldn’t hold your breath for a reunion where a certain recent relief pitcher with the initials AB would be present. I vowed never to speak or type the name again. He was the one player who my stomach would hurt- really, it would, when he entered a game. No kidding.

Or, a starting pitcher currently on the roster with the initials BZ. WOuldn’t wait for that, either.[/quote]

Is that the same relief pitcher who Toronto recalled for last night’s game and gave up a home run on his first pitch?[/quote]

Home run on the first pitch? Yup. That be him.
Hasn’t changed a bit.

C.J.|
May 15, 2008 at 12:14 am |

[quote comment=”270478″]I’m not a huge fan of the offset median stroke on the A that they’ve worked into both the helmet logo and the jersey lettering. It seems like a “modern” touch that’s slightly out of place.

I’d like to see the NOB lettering as well- that could potentially ruin the whole deal. Helmet numbers can go either way as well. Also I’m assuming they wear white socks and black shoes which would be a good look.[/quote]

The font is new/original, also a part of the revamped “graphic identity”. The colors are much closer to the school’s palette from the 1970s, before “cardinal and gold” evolved into “red and yellow”. If 2008 is like 2007, there will be no NOB. Names were taken off the jerseys by the new coaching regime. Likely no exterior helmet numbers, either.

Rumors are floating about white shoes, not black.

Mike|
May 15, 2008 at 9:13 am |

[quote comment=”270319″]Has anyone been to the new Sports Museum in NYC yet?[/quote]

No, but I’m staring at it right now. One of Firm’s offices is on Broadway and I’m in a meeting today and tomorrow and it’s just begging me to go over.

Sammy|
May 15, 2008 at 9:06 pm |

Those ISU uniforms–screws with my mind to see UCLA stripes on USC colors…

I didn’t realize there were so many Southeastern Michigainians here either. Want to come over here, Paul, and celebrate the olde English D and the winged wheel?